Bits Of Your Body You Didn't Know You Need To Exercise

Time to stop ignoring these all-important areas and draw up an exercise plan.

Pumping iron in the gym? Nope – the most important exercises you need to do for your body doesn’t involve breaking a sweat or wearing an unflattering sports kit. These exercises can be done at home. Even better, once you know what to do, you start getting results straight away. So what are you waiting for?

Between your shoulder blades

This sweet spot is the key to perfect posture. Not only does toning the zone between your shoulder blades make you look instantly younger and slimmer, but also it protects you from back pain – something 80 percent of us suffer from. And the more you practice tightening those slack muscles, the more you’ll do it without even thinking, so you’ll dodge getting a dreaded hunchback.

Your how-to: To switch on your postural muscles, roll your shoulders down and back, then squeeze your shoulder blades together for a count of three. Lift your chest up and pull your navel in towards your spine. Repeat 10 times.

Your smile

Forget fillers or wildly expensive facial treatments, face yoga is the best anti-aging weapon in your armory. Believed to boost blood circulation and increase the flow of youth-enhancing oxygen to your skin, face yoga will keep you looking younger for longer – now that’s a reason to smile.

Your how-to: Roll your lips over your teeth, and keep them covered as you smile as broadly as you can. Wiggle your jaw up and down three times to stimulate more nourishing oxygen to the area. Try it another 10 times and you’ll suddenly feel the urge to take a new Facebook profile picture.

Your pelvic floor

Strengthening the hammock of muscle that supports your bladder, uterus and vagina will reduce your risk of incontinence. Pelvic floor issues like bladder incontinence affect 35 percent of us – blame the mixed blessings of motherhood and maturity.

Your how-to: Slowly, but firmly, squeeze the muscles you’d use if you were trying to stop yourself peeing mid-flow. Your mission is to isolate those muscles – resist the temptation to squeeze your buttocks or clench your inner thighs. Hold for a count of three, then gradually relax for another count of three. Repeat 10 times. For a double whammy of protection, try Always Discreet pads or liners. They help keep you dry in case of accidents, and are so subtle you might even forget you’re wearing them.